Send me email updates about messages I've received on the site and the latest news from The CafeMom Team.
By signing up, you certify that you are female and accept the Terms of Service and have read the
Privacy Policy.

"Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is a diagnosis described by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) as an ongoing pattern of anger guided disobedience, hostilely defiant behavior toward authority figures which goes beyond the bounds of normal childhood behavior. People may appear very stubborn and often angry. A diagnosis of ODD cannot be given if the child presents with conduct disorder (CD)[1]

Contents

Common features of Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) include excessive, often persistent anger, frequent temper tantrums or angry outbursts, as well as disregard for authority. Children and adolescents with ODD often purposely annoy others, blame others for their own mistakes, and are easily disturbed. Parents often observe more rigid and irritable behaviors than in siblings.[2] In addition, these young people may appear resentful of others and when someone does something they don't like they prefer taking revenge more than sensitive solutions.[3]

For a child or adolescent to qualify for a diagnosis of ODD these behaviors must cause considerable distress for the family and/or interfere significantly with academic or social functioning. Interference might take the form of preventing the child or adolescent from learning at school or making friends, or placing him or her in harmful situations. These behaviors must also persist for at least six months. Effects of ODD can be greatly amplified by other disorders in comorbidity such as ADHD.[4]

Children of alcoholic parents, or whose fathers have "been in trouble with the law" run a 18% chance of developing ODD, beginning very early in age.[4] This could suggest that the development of ODD concerning symptoms of dis-cooperativeness may be influenced by the behavior of the parents.

Update:

I would like to add some helpful resources, books, for those who are navigating this terrain.

Your Defiant Child, Barkley

The Defiant Child, Dr. Riley

Taking Charge of Adhd, BarkleyThe Explosive Child, Greene

Parenting Children w/ Adhd, MonastraSuper Parenting for ADD: The Survival Guide to Kids with ADD or ADHD, John Taylor PhD

Its hard though. Treatment is often long term, up to a year or two, many kids end up in residential treatment.

Quoting rfurlongg:

Quoting Radarma:

Are these kids simply the "brats" of yesteryear?

No. These are the kids that ended up institutionalized or in prison in yesteryears. Thank goodness for research and therapeutic advancements some of these children have a chance at a normal productive life.

Completely agree.
My friends son has ODD. It's so hard on her not being able to go anywhere for fear he will act out. He's been kicked off of baseball teams for throwing bats and is constantly in trouble. It took years before he was diagnosed.

I don't think you realize to what level the behaviors have to be to get this diagnosis. It's not just being bratty and it is usually part of another diagnosis like autism or other neurological disorders. My son who has severe autism and severe adhd has borderline ODD. And has been in daily behavioral therapy for years due to it. Like I said his is just borderline and it's a nightmare, I can't imagine the extreme cases.

Omg! This sounds EXACTLY like my 7 year old DS. Every single one of the behavioral issues listed we have been battling with for the past year and a half (at least)... How do you go about having someone tested for something like this? And what are the possible treatments?

It used to be a very accurate description of my youngest, until I divorced his father. Suddenly, with all the conflict gone, he turned into a very sweet kid. I tend to wonder if this is an actual disorder or if kids with these symptoms are reacting to stress.

Send me email updates about messages I've received on the site and the latest news from The CafeMom Team.
By signing up, you certify that you are female and accept the Terms of Service and have read the
Privacy Policy.